Reapers Realm
by Radar1388
Summary: A predator is lurking in the shadows. No one's quite sure of its true prey. It's not Pitch Black, and it is far stronger than the Guardians even realize. Based around my other story, "The Bond". No romance.
1. Prologue

_* Original summary subject to very (very) slight change. Rated for slight peril of characters. Nothing too gory, I promise._

_**This story as an almost sequel to my series of one-shots called "The Bond". I am still continuing "The Bond", but I strongly recommend reading the recent of those one-shots (there are a few) in order to understand this. I hope this does not disappoint fans of "The Bond".** This is also a rewrite of my previous chapter story also called "Reapers Realm"._

_The creatures contained in this story I almost based off the Dementors from "Harry Potter". However, the creatures in this story have a different purpose. **For disclaimer reasons, I'll still note that I don't own "Harry Potter".**_

_I always like reviews, but I love constructive criticism more. If there is anything that could or is in need of change, please let me know._

**_I don't own "Rise of the Guardians" at all._**

Prologue

His voice dropped into a whispering curse. Currently stuck at the physical age of ten, maybe eleven, he wasn't one for swearing – Jack wouldn't approve – but the cloak had tripped him twice and he hadn't even moved more than a couple feet.

Jamie grumbled irately, but tugged it up as gently as possible. From the moment he saw it in the Room of Memories, he knew it was almost too big for him. However, Jack had given his beloved cloak to him as a gift. Jamie didn't hate it at all, he was just trying to get used to it.

The child rounded a corner, briefly looking at a flower shop sign that flapped lazily in the breeze. Jamie flicked some sweat from his brow and he could almost hear it splattering on the sidewalk. He made a mental note to ask Jack how to change his core body temperature. _Jack…_

"Oh, man!" Jamie exclaimed when he peered up at the town's clock. _Ten-thirty PM._

The boy sped down the street, swerving rights and lefts as his adrenaline produced strands of frost to curl through the seams of the leather cloak. Jamie's curiosity and growing independence tricked him into being terribly late. Jack was going to have his head for this! The wind shoved at Jamie's back, aiding him with an almost complete U-turn toward an alley. He may not be able to fly like his Guardian yet, but the extra spring in speed helped, nonetheless.

Jamie hardly took notice to a grainy hiss that festered in his path. Right before entering the corridor a thick wall black as the night sprang, curling away from the shadows. With a surprised gasp, the kid skidded to halt, jaw dropping at the familiar creature's presence.

The black sand twisted and writhed before slowly slinking into its standard form. Eyes as yellow as the Boogeyman's, the Nightmare stared Jamie down as the child fisted his palms, as if hand-to-hand combat would defeat this creature. Besides, Jack had only really taught him how to sword fight, but even that was minimal and he was terrible at it.

Then the Nightmare snorted and reared onto to its hind legs. Whinnying sharply and hammering the pavement with its hooves, it launched itself straight for the stunned child. Thinking quickly, Jamie gave a quick sidestep out of the way. With a spasmodic, almost distressing rhythm in its gallop, the Fearling continued onward, ignoring the boy. And it reared once more before diving down into a nearby storm drain.

While the resounding clatter of the drain's lid shuddered to a stop, Jamie continued standing in place with dumbfounded astonishment. Pitch wasn't at his full power yet - at least not enough power to create Fearlings - and he wasn't going to be for a long time. Jamie remembered how that Nightmare acted. Not only did it completely ignore him, but its body language appeared hasty, as if trying to get away from something.

"What are Nightmares afraid of," Jamie asked the air before continuing briskly, entering the alley. He would ask Jack about this la-

A breathy_ 'oof'_ rushed passed Jamie's lips as something snagged his feet, forcing him to stay put. The boy looked to the ground beside the backdoor of one of the town's butcher shops, and his eyebrows came together. From what he saw, nothing was keeping his feet rooted. There was no tape, no glue, and no nails or screws. Jamie jerked his ankles one at a time, but his feet refused to budge.

Jamie huffed, a puff of air materializing until he could see his own breath on the air. Jamie smirked at the chill in the weather. Though it was the middle of summer, it didn't mean that a certain winter spirit couldn't change that; normally, the cold in the wind signalled his coming arrival. Jack probably grew worried for his lack of returning and went to seek the kid himself. He waited for the familiar presence of the spirit, but this didn't solve the problem with his feet. With an aggravated sigh, the little boy untied the laces in a quick fix to escape.

A chilly flick ran up his spine, making him as still as a statue. The surroundings became stuffy and unnerving. Jamie swallowed while his childlike senses kicked in. He tore at his shoelaces again with new motivation, every cell in his body coaxing him to make haste. Abruptly, Jamie stalled his movements, but not of his own accord. His mind stayed completely calm with inquisition, but he found that his body, tremulous with nerves, wasn't controllable anymore. He blinked as the lights around the alley dimmed and flickered out, and when he looked forward he stopped breathing.

A dark, inky shadow slithered from the ground, rising until it hovered just above Jamie's head. The figure wore a cloak darker than the sand of any Fearling and covered every inch of its tall body. It floated there, faceless hood turning back and forth as if searching. Jamie tried to straighten up, to make himself look braver, until the figure appeared to be looking down at _him!_

The spirit drifted so close that Jamie could feel its icy, seething breath. The figure's cloak finally revealed dry, skeletal fingers that flexed threateningly at the trembling little boy. Forgetting about the emergency snow globe in his pocket, Jamie couldn't help a tired whimper as his shoulders hunched, almost submissively.

A burst of light suddenly flooded his vision, causing the dark spirit to bellow in agony. Jamie smacked his hands over his head to shield the splitting cry. Ceasing its wail, the creature crouched on the air and sailed over Jamie's head, fusing back into the cement as if it had never even been there.

"Hey, kid," Jamie's gaze snapped to his left, just behind the butcher shop's door. The owner stood at the backdoor, brushing bits of meat from his apron. "What are you doing back here?" The man asked, reaching for the switch that belonged to the overhead light.

"Don't turn that off!" Jamie's unexpected outburst made the man pause. Whatever that…_thing_ was it hated that light. And Jamie didn't want _it_ coming back.

The butcher raised his hands in defense. "If you're that scared of the dark, then why don't you head on home where it's safe," the man spoke gruffly, but delicately. "A kid your age shouldn't be wandering around town at this hour. Don't know what kind of weirdos are out this late."

"Tell me about it," Jamie muttered under his breath. With quicker precision, he worked at his shoelaces until the beautiful moment came where he could literally jump out of his shoes. "Thank you!" Jamie hollered before running down the alley and across a street.

The butcher wiped the last of the meat stains on a clean, white rag. He stole a glance at the kid's discarded shoes and then towards the lamp above. "Kids," the man muttered before shutting the door behind him.

A light-hearted, and relieving, cold breeze rummaged through the streets. The wind brushed at Jamie's old shoes, moving them with ease until they tumbled right over the cover of the storm drain. A little ways beyond that, the overhead light switched off, and the street lamps fizzled back to life. All the while, the watchful gaze of the full moon became submerged in the clouds.

_* Again, I strongly suggest reading "The Bond", otherwise it'll be rather hard to understand. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read!_


	2. Much Debate

Much Debate

_"Who goes to hospital for such things," North asked, setting his chainsaw on the worktable._

_"Not for that," Jack said as he leant against the wall. "He got into another fight with bullies from that high school and his mom freaked out over the black eye."_

_Jack sighed, glancing about his comrade's cavernous workroom. Jack's initial reason for visiting was to conjure special blocks of ice for North's latest projects – two of which included gifts for Jamie and Sophie – but that day, he entered the toy factory with a burning question._

_Jack frequently went to North's out of boredom, and concerning Jamie. With the bond came more confusion than either would've liked. The usual, most recent topic of conversation was his _abilities_. Jamie was utterly ecstatic and fascinated by both Jack's magic and the magic that came from his own fingertips. North would usually be able to answer any questions or concerns regarding this – after all, it virtually came with his center – but Jack and Jamie's recent plight wasn't exactly anticipated._

_"While they were at the doctor," Jack continued with unusual monotone. "Jamie's mother asked if Jamie was due for a growth spurt." Submerged in sanding a wooden sword, North only grumbled in response. Blowing a puff of air up to his bangs, Jack said, "She's wondering why Jamie isn't growing."_

_This made North halt in the middle of installing the hilt for the toy weaponry. He pointed a raised eyebrow at the younger Guardian. "I told you he would grow at a slower rate," North reminded. "Does he look around the age of thirteen? Fourteen?"_

_"He looks less than twelve years old, and guess what," Jack pointed out, pushing from the wall to stand closer to North. "He's starting high school in a year."_

_"What?" North blinked with the shake of a head. "But the bond shouldn't stunt his growth that much. Is little Sophie having same problem?"_

_"Not as far as I can tell," Jack pursed his lips. "From what Jamie told me she's talking in full sentences and is even a bit taller now, but Jamie isn't growing at all."_

_"Ay." North turned and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples to concentrate. "I suppose if you take account their ages…No! Still shouldn't effect…Perhaps he…" North sighed and slumped down into a fur-laden office chair. "'Is simply not possible."_

_"No," Jack chuckled humorlessly, gently tapping the ground with his staff to get North's attention. "A white-haired, wayward teenager flying through thin air isn't possible." He paused. "I mean, Jamie may have grown a little, but not enough to make a difference."_

_He leapt onto the worktable and crouched to look the other Guardian in the eye. "Burgess is a small town and word spreads quickly. Everyone, even his own friends have been questioning. Don't you think it'll be strange seeing a little kid like him walking the halls of a high school?" Suddenly, Jack groaned and spun around. "And he's going to get bullied for his shortness, I just know it…"_

_Allowing Jack to rant, North leaned back to his thoughts. If Jamie wasn't aging like he was supposed to, how long would it be before his mother took him back to the doctors? Of course, the doctors could scan him over and over and find absolutely nothing but a young boy a bit too short for his age. However, months would blend into years, and if he was still unable to age what would happen then? Would they continue the doctor visits? Would the doctors become suspicious and send him to… a science lab or something?_

_Any other time, the 'science lab' bit would be jumping the gun, but in a position where humans could see who you are, able to see your magic abilities, it's rather doubtful that a scientist of any kind would brush off or overlook the matter. Curiosity made the world go 'round, but it also causes problems for those who'd rather be left alone._

_He looked up to see Jack pacing slowly, his mumbles coming out fewer and lower in volume. North scratched his chin..._Alone indeed_._

_"You now see another consequence of bonding," North said, grimly. Not looking at him, Jack nodded. North said Jack's name to catch the spirit's attention. "Any other century, this would be no big deal," he continued. "But times have changed, making this even more delicate._

_"There is solution," North said with a pointed finger, keeping Jack's steady cerulean gaze. "But are you prepared for it?"_

The summer breeze whipped angrily at the winter spirit. Jamie flinched and tucked his head further down as the wind lashed at him as well. Boiling sweat matted brown hair to his forehead and he used his discarded cloak to wipe it away. With a dismal sigh, the kid tucked himself closer against his Guardian. Jack mumbled incoherently, pulling the child closer.

Though immortal, Jack still ate and slept like any other human being, just not as much. Their travelling, inconsistent and haphazard as always, was constant. They only stopped to give the wind a break, sleep or eat, explore, or even wreak havoc with snowball fights and decent blizzards – as much energy as Jack contained, he knew the damaging effects of too much snow and always kept check on his powers.

However, a winter spirit could only take so much. And when Jack did have to rest, he would be out for hours, and at very inopportune times. In order to spread winter, they often had to literally skip over the other seasons, but completely avoiding them wasn't arduous, until Jack met the responsibility of taking full care of a young kid.

So there they were, a winter spirit and his apprentice resting in some western town within the very peak of summer. And Jamie was irritated. Not only was he more vulnerable to the heat in his amateur state, but he also lacked proper sleep. Every time he closed eyes, images of the scared Fearling and the frightening, ghostly creature from the previous city seemed to haunt his thoughts.

He would've told Jack about it, but the creature never showed itself again. If it posed any reasonable malice toward the boy, then surely it would've followed, returned for him. Because of this, Jamie tried to push the matter to the back of his mind. He didn't want to give Jack unnecessary panic if he never even saw that _thing_ again. Although, he may mention it to Sophie later.

Jamie hadn't seen his sister in a while. With Jack's job in demand they were always somewhere out of reach of spring weather. Jack would occasionally use a snow globe to leave Jamie in the Warren – Jamie always grumbled at the 'babysitting' innuendo – for a few hours, but that was a few weeks ago.

Bored and out of reach of sleep, Jamie thought about how Sophie was doing, how bonding with Bunny and her powers were coming along. With a sad chuckle he remembered how Sophie said she made their mom's garden bloom vibrant with beautiful flowers. His mother…

One the very first day of high school, Jamie's priorities were to not be trampled in the hallways, get to class on time, and not be deterred by those more ignorant. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do any of those. The bell schedule was different in this school, causing him and his friends to be late to every single class. Okay, no one docked points for being late on the first day, but his turmoil continued. His clumsiness earned him a good trip straight to the tile floors, and to add insult to injury a passing student stepped directly onto his fingers. This triggered a chorus of laughter from other teenagers who gradually and continuously pulled the little boy aside to jest about how young he looked. Most of their insults revolved around goading him to go back to kindergarten or the first grade.

Jamie tried not to be swayed by their insults, but his day didn't stop even upon coming home from school. He quietly walked in on his mother speaking with the local hospital over the phone. His mom's worries increased. Jamie wasn't aging, not as decently as Sophie, and she contacted every doctor's office and hospital within the area. Jamie always huffed at this. They weren't the richest family out there, and annual medical visits and inquiries didn't aid the insurance problems they already had. And after walking into his room to find a forlorn Jack Frost on his windowsill, he later admitted it was for the best.

Jamie knew it, he could feel how his body refused to age the way it should, even with the bond, and would always be questioned about this. But it was something that Jamie, or no one, could control. The damage was done, Jack and Jamie had bonded and there was no going back, no reversal existed. Aside from the rather loud outburst of white, freezing magic that unexpectedly released from his fingertips only to freeze a chalk board, this ultimately sealed the decision.

Using an older technique of hypnotics, the Sandman agreed for the first time in centuries to use the intense lethargy of his powers to cast the ancient spell over Jamie's mother, overwhelming her dreams to the point where he could reach her initial thoughts. With a quick, practiced nod of his head, Sandy worked at the dear portion of the woman's memories, until the image of a certain little brown-haired child blurred in her mind, eventually disappearing altogether.

Sophie would obviously acknowledge Jamie's presence and memories, but their mother – _Sophie's_ mother – was no longer a part of that. Every now and then, Jamie's name would pop up in Sophie's conversations with her, but the mom merely brushed this off, assuming that Jamie was a friend of her daughter.

And there was Jamie, several months later, laying on the soft plastic of a dumpster lid, using the Guardian's chilly upper arm as a pillow with the remainder of the spirit's arms wrapped around his small frame until the kid wasn't even touching the dumpster anymore. Every twitch or snap in the night spread a wince across Jack's unconscious face. The slight outside noises made the spirit involuntarily tighten his hold on the overheated kid, tucking him closer and even attempting to curl his body protectively around the child. It was to a point that the only being you could see was a winter spirit coiled like a napping cat. Jamie was almost completely hidden from any other immortal that could possibly intrude on them.

Jamie clamped his heavy eyes, willing himself to forget disturbing, almost nightmarish images and go to bed. Jack shifted slightly and Jamie could feel the spirit's decrease in body temperature. A chilly hand slowly rose to cup the child's sweltering forehead.

Jack hummed eyes still closed, but awake. "Still have a fever," he noted with a mumble. Though Jamie wasn't ailing from sickness, the summer heat, even at night, made him feel like he was being forced to sit in front a heater at full blast.

Jack tucked Jamie under his chin, enveloping the child's head with his built-in cooling system. After a brief moment, Jack slowly moved to sit up. Jamie leaned against Jack's freezing side as the spirit rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Let's get moving," Jack said with a stretch and reaching behind Jamie. "I want to bring some snow to the mountains." The spirit spread and tied the old, leather cloak around Jamie's shoulders, preparing him for the harshness of the area they were heading for.

"No," Jamie shook his head. "You only slept for, like, three hours so far."

"Doesn't matter," Jack said resolutely. He stood up. "I'm getting you out of this heat. It isn't healthy for you." Kicking his staff up into one hand, Jack used the other to lean forward and bring Jamie into his arms. "We'll get better rest where it's colder. Plus, I can leave you on your own on some parts of the mountain."

"You can leave me by myself in some the towns we visit, you know," Jamie coaxed as he pressed his forehead to the shoulder of the blue hoodie. Jack smiled and rolled his eyes. Initially, he didn't let Jamie wander too far from him, especially in some of the bigger towns and cities. Powers or not, it was too risky for a kid of that _supposed_ age to be off on his own like that.

Jack briskly summoned the wind, and Jamie groaned pitifully when the air rushed at him as hot as a hair blow dryer. With a reassuring squeeze, Jack allowed the wind to lift them. Jamie closed his eyes at the weightless feeling, daydreaming of the moment where he'd be able to fly on his own. They must've only gotten a foot off the ground when there was a sudden jerk in the flight. Scrunching his eyebrows, Jamie didn't have time to look before something crushed against them, making them soar backwards and hit the pavement with a paired thud.

Jamie blinked his eyes, rolling onto his stomach to get a better look at his Guardian standing defensively in front of him. Jack's staff was aimed angrily at the intruder at the far end of the alley. Jamie blanched as the dark, ghost-like creature from nights before rounded them, hissing groggily under its breath as it sized them up. It slithered through the air, whisking this way and that until it backed the two boys into a corner.


	3. Spectral

_* I referenced the movie/book "Alice In Wonderland". **I don't own "Alice in Wonderland".**_

Spectral

The spectral, ghostly creature rounded the boys, dark cloak sweeping the air just inches above the pavement. Jack bent into a sturdier position, hands clenching the staff and standing protectively in front of his apprentice. Jamie moved to sit on his knees as he instinctively tried not to make eye contact with the creature who he only met a week ago.

The creature still kept its wispy stride, tattered cloak sweeping this way and that, pacing back and forth as it scrutinized its lanky opponents. It hissed, breath coming out in a fog as if it were the middle of winter. It stalled in front of the dumpster they had just been sleeping on, and turned its hood toward the winter spirit. Where the creature's face should've been was nothing but an empty space, a dark void leading into the cloak, into its hidden spine. Jack's eyebrows came together, hands loosening by a fraction around the staff.

He shifted his footing to see if the creature's gaze would follow his movements, but to no avail. The creature didn't appear to see Jack; it appeared to look straight through him. Jack's insides panged irately. Even with the towering figure of this spirit looming menacingly in front of them, Jack still felt upset with this ignorance.

Wait. If the figure was looking_ through_ him, then…

Jack swiveled his head to look down at Jamie as a series of sharp chills almost visibly ran up and down the kid's spine. As Jack spun around to look back at the creature, realizing who its target truly was, the chord inside him jolted sharply. Jack's feet quietly tapped the ground as he took to a sturdier position, and Jamie gulped when he looked at the Guardian.

The winter spirit, nimble body crouched and extremely rigid, held his staff in a death grip, knuckles turning unusually paler around the weapon as frost crackled between his fingertips. The tension in the air amped. Jack's jaw was set, teeth grinding together as he glared daggers at their intruder, suspicious eyes never leaving its form. Jamie swallowed, almost fearing for the creature's life and not their own.

Aside from the wind and the detached streetlight bulb swaying unsteadily from loose wires, everything was still; no one dared to move.

Jamie peeled his gaze from Jack to look at the creature. As Jamie waited for the being to make a move, the air suddenly became stuffier as sweat began dripping from his face again. Exhaling, he tore his eyes to the dark corner beside him, releasing a puff of overheated air. Jack growled, his impatience being fueled by Jamie's growing seasonal ailment, as well as the creature's choice in target. He brought his staff higher, prepared to defend.

The creature started swaying slowly, like a buoy on an ocean. Jamie swallowed, the movement catching his peripheral vision, but he couldn't bring himself to look. Goosebumps raised over the child's limbs as weight seemed to push down on his chest, making him take a shaky breath. The shadows appeared to be getting closer, clenching in on them like a closing fist.

Jamie tried to glance up, tried to see if Jack was feeling smothered as well, but his chocolate eyes were glued to the only corner without a trashcan. The shadows against the wall appeared to be shifting, writhing like his cloak often did in the wind. The child shook his head to snap out of whatever daze he was in.

Jamie vaguely heard Jack talk to the creature with demanding questions and he might've heard Jack say his name. However, he felt too lightheaded to listen, almost too overheated to care about the monster in front of them. Jamie rubbed a knuckle over his face; he felt like he was going to pass out.

Jamie jumped a foot in the air when a loud crack from Jack's staff went off. The child swiveled his head in time to see the creature duck away from the frost. It had taken a dive at Jack before being forced back to hover over the dumpster. It tipped its head back and its sharp, echoing howl rattled the metal of a nearby trash bin. Jack clapped his hands over his hearing. Jamie stared at the ground, his uncovered ears at the mercy of its cries. However, he wasn't worried about any possible hearing loss.

The shadows in the empty corner were definitely moving, coming closer, in fact. They undulated and slithered, twisting away from the walls until free to take shape. It had the same shape, size, and malevolent stride as the other creature. The only noticeable difference was their cloaks. The creature gliding to Jamie was thinner, but darker – if that was even possible – and its cloak wasn't as worn as the other creature's, like it _just_ bought it from the store.

The chattering of his teeth refusing to hide his fear, Jamie looked at Jack to see the winter spirit's gaze was focused completely on the creature that first interrupted them, totally unaware of the other's arrival and Jamie's predicament. When Jamie looked again, the creature was a little more than a foot from him.

With a shaky gasp, Jamie pushed backward onto his rear, scrambling until his back met the trashcan. With a muffled rattle, the overstuffed lid of the can slid over to let a rusted bar tumble over the side, clattering to the pavement. Trying to mask his wide fearful eyes with determination, Jamie snatched the bar and held it in front of him like a sword. At the time, he never noticed that the weak frost from his powers didn't wrap around the bar like it normally should have. The creature halted in the air, faceless hood twitching up and down to scrutinize the weapon. Then, it looked back at Jamie and started shaking its head, hood slowly moving back and forth, side to side.

The child studied the creature, memorizing the whipping of its cloak and the twitching of its fingers resting just beneath the sleeves. Jamie struggled to look away from the creature, struggled to keep a poker face, but he felt his grip slacken. Something about the way it moved and drifted had Jamie's head spinning. The remaining shadows around him seemed to back off as if to get a better view of the pair.

_Pair…_

He was with Jack! Jamie's lips parted meekly to ask Jack for help, eyes trying to wander to his pallor form, but whatever Jack was focused on, whatever fight may have been ensuing, Jamie didn't take notice. His mind felt sketchy, unable to process that Jack was there, that another _creature_ was there. But all Jamie saw and heard was the hissing of the cloaked figure that started closing the gap.

The creature straightened up, but hovered more towards the ground until it was less than three feet higher than Jamie. It's shoulders jerked before bringing up its arms and letting its long, gnarled fingers protrude from the sleeves, twitching menacingly as if ready to snatch the kid. Jamie's shudder halted as he studied the zombie-like hands in front of him, body stilling into an oddly relaxed state as the wind around them vanished. It continued flexing and curling its fingers in front of the boys face. His round, innocent eyes were entranced by their movements, unable to look away. And when Jamie could feel and smell the foul, musty breath of the creature, his arms fell limply to his sides.

Jack shot another blast at his opponent and the creature didn't have time to duck this time. It took the hit and screeched before shaking like a wet dog and rocketing skyward, only to make a sharp turn towards the horizon of buildings.

The fun-loving spirit whooped in victory. He was already turning, ready to celebrate a victory with the kid before the racket of a metal bar slapped the ground, ringing as loud as the toll of a bell tower.

Jack's breath caught in his throat, and before his heart could sink to his stomach he hurled an angry bolt of white frost at the creature, ripping its grip from around the child's small shoulders. The creature slammed against the wall, bricks crumbling and chipping to the ground, but Jamie didn't take notice; his eyes were large and owlishly locked to the space in front of him.

The creature huffed indignantly drifting weakly back into the air. Its ghostly form stilled as the warmth of the summer night plummeted. The creature slowly turned to see the winter spirit.

"Don't…you dare," Jack's voice dropped with the temperature, soft cerulean orbs now piercing and livid. "touch him."

The creature rose until it towered directly over Jack's head.

"What," the spirit tried calling its bluff before pointing to the space behind him. "I've seen how your buddy fights, and I got to say," Jack sneered. "He didn't land a punch." _Do you guys even have genders?_ Jack silently questioned as he tried not to be intimidated by it.

The creature hissed indignantly, making Jack cough and wave a hand in front of his mouth.

"You know," Jack laughed childishly. "You'd be in big trouble if the Tooth Fairy ever sees you, she'd be drowning you with mouth wash."

The creature flicked its head back as if whiplashed and released a loud shriek before diving at Jack. Rolling his eyes within that second, Jack slid to the side, making the creature slam and skid unceremoniously to the pavement. The creature groaned, bringing itself into an uncharacteristic kneel on its hands and knees…if it had knees.

A chilling growl resonated as the creature reeled around only to find itself in the alley with nothing more than a leftover burst of snow and air.

* * *

Jack landed swiftly on a thick tree root arcing from the ground, forming lazy patterns of frost beneath his feet and onto the bark. With a tired gasp, Jack was about to question the trembling bundle in his arms before a bellow clawed at the sky.

With an exasperated grunt, Jack jumped back until his back lightly brushed the towering tree. He hid in the shadows under the expanse of leaves as two inky blotches darted across the sky. The Guardian watched wearily as the creatures soared overhead until veering upwards, disappearing into the cloud cover.

Nodding resolutely in their direction, Jack's hold finally relaxed around Jamie and he gently jostled him to get his attention. Jamie's eyes were wide open, but still held the owlish gaze, seeing nothing and hearing nothing.

"Jamie," Jack coaxed. Shifting the little body into one arm, Jack now used his free hand to rake it through Jamie's unkempt hair.

Biting his lip with worry, Jack snapped his fingers. Twiddling two fingers and a thumb, he crystallized a tiny snowflake. The air was warm and stuffy and he didn't want to waste precious magic in making the flake bigger in case those _things_ came back. The snowflake danced through the air before finding its destination, landing on the very tip of Jamie's nose. Jack's eyebrows rose expectantly as the blue static of his magic flickered over Jamie's face.

Chocolate eyes blinked rapidly as Jamie shifted in Jack's arms. Jamie grunted as he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes to push exhaustion away. The child moved lightly as another arm wrapped around his back, a relieved chuckle sounding just above him.

Jack tightened his grip, instinct refusing to let him go. "Hey, kiddo," Jack grinned thankfully as he leaned comfortably against the tree. "You okay?"

Jamie blinked again before opening his mouth. His only reply was a humming sigh and a small smile. _Eh_, Jack thought, matching the exhale. _Close enough_.

"What were those things," Jamie asked as Jack finally set him down. The spirit winced; the kid's voice sounded hoarse and tired.

"I have no idea," Jack said. He tilted his gaze to the sky. Even before making Guardian status, he always liked to look at the moon when confused, or even scared. However, the moon wasn't visible behind the clouds, not even gracing the sky with its familiar glow.

"But," Jack pursed his lips. "I think I know someone who_ might_ know."

Jack grabbed Jamie's hand as he led them through the woods with a steady pace. He made sure to stop every now and again, making sure Jamie was keeping pace with him, but the child was having trouble. Jack was moving briskly, almost rushed as they weaved and ducked between trees, boulders, and shrubs. Be it flying or walking, Jack was nimble with both activities, but Jamie wasn't.

He looked into Jack's unwavering gaze as they continued forward, and the child flexed his jaw. Jack's eyes were always set in nonchalance and, at times, glazed over and flickering as he would sometimes launch himself into his own world. This time was no exception aside for how his brows creased, eyes twitching as if wildly searching for something.

Jamie unexpectedly crashed into the winter spirit's legs as they stopped short, halting in front of a large oval bush resting against a willow tree. Jack placed his hands on either of the child's shoulders – Jamie shivered at the thought of the ghostly creature that had touched him – before kneeling down to his level.

Jack's gaze was unusually shadowed, but steady. "That _thing_," Jack said firmly. "It didn't hurt you, did it?" Jamie bit his lip and shook his head. The Guardian sighed, shoulders sagging as he bent forward to rest his forehead against Jamie's. "Just double-checking," he explained below a whisper, eyes closed.

"Are you kidding," Jamie insisted, puffing his chest a little. "It didn't stand a chance against me." Jack chuckled, rolling his eyes as he stood. "So, what now?"

"Hmm," Jack mused, staring towards his feet. "Well," he said, tapping his staff to his chin with a growing smile. "Have you ever been on the most fun slide in the world?"

"You mean your ice paths for when we go sledding?"

Jack blinked. "Okay, have you ever been on the _second_ most fun slide in the world?"

His smile broadened when the child shook his head. Jack took a step back and patted his bare foot against the ground, twice. The land briefly shook before the grass started caving in, swallowing downward until a perfectly round rabbit hole opened wide.

"No way," Jamie gaped. "But I thought only Bunny could do that!"

"In case the other Guardians need to reach him," Jack explained with a shrug. "Bunny made select few Warren entrances around the world for us to access." Jack grabbed under Jamie's arms and hoisted the kid onto his back. "I'll tell you about all the entrances later. For now, hold on." Used to his flight patterns, Jamie was unfazed when Jack did a twisting, expert flip down the rabbit hole.

Cool, spring air buffeted the growing bliss on Jamie's face as they plummeted. Night had closed in, but Jamie could just make out his lush green surroundings as they corkscrewed and wheeled through the tunnels, hollers and laughs bouncing to and from the mossy walls.

They were Jack's laughs. Jamie, however, only gave a distant smile, placing hand on one of the shoulders where the ghostly creature had touched him. Why didn't he move, why did he only _stare_ at that monster? Resisting the urge to slap his forehead, he stupidly remembered his escape routes in the alley. _Nowhere to run?!_ He either had do leap under the creature or off to the side and away. What stopped him?

Why couldn't he get away?

A jolt and his own gasp shattered his thoughts as Jack skidded to a halt. Dust and dirt settled in their path, clearing to reveal the brown soil of a rabbit burrow. The cave was a bit small and had absolutely nothing in it aside from two other entrances: one leading up towards the night of the Warren, and the other into another, dimly lit burrow.

Placing Jamie to the ground, Jack figured they were only at the main entrance – foyer, if you will – and walked forward to the other room, Jamie following behind him. When they rounded the corner, they took in the ambiance of white candlelight that faintly flooded the room from its oak nightstand.

To the floor beside the nightstand was a large nest made of long grass, thin reeds, some straw and some hay. Jack snorted a laugh. Snuggled into the nest was a sleeping Easter Bunny with little Sophie lying right next to him. At the sound of Jack's chuckle, Bunnymund's ear twitched before curling closer to the little girl, gently nudging her until she was resting against his furry chest.

Yet again wishing he had a camera, Jack waltzed casually until he was right beside the nest and leaning over his resting friends. Playful grin widening, Jack delicately gripped his staff, brought the hook towards Bunny's face, and lightly prodded the Pooka's nose.

"Come on, Jack," Jamie said, trying to hide a nervous chuckle when Bunny only crinkled his nose. "Let's let them sleep and come back later."

"Don't worry, kiddo," Jack said coolly as if this was a normal occurrence. "The Kangaroo's a big ol' softy around Sophie. He won't hurt either of use."

Jamie exhaled. "I'm more worried about you."

Jack rolled his eyes and reeled back his staff to lightly poke the paw resting over the girl's little back. When Bunny didn't even move at this touch, Jack flew to the other side of the nest and tapped Bunny's nose again...and again, and again. Groaning at the lack of response, Jack turned and walked back to Jamie. Perhaps they _would_ have to wait for them to wake up.

"I think there's a bedroom door up ahead," Jack pointed down the adjacent hallway, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "It's not too warm for either of us down here, which means we can get some sleep."

"But those monsters-"

"If Bunny's allowing Sophie to spend every night here," Jack explained. "Then it's perfectly safe." He looked Jamie in the eye. "We'd never let anything happen to either of you. Not on our watch." Jamie's uncertain frown shifted upwards brightly. However, this was short-lived when Jamie suddenly gasped and jumped back. Jack didn't have a chance to ask or even panic when a snarl ripped the evening silence.

Jack spun on the air, turning to see Bunnymund wide awake. The Pooka was standing up and glaring furiously at him, boomerangs and egg-bombs aimed directly at Jack and Jamie.


	4. Sleep, Lack Thereof

Sleep, Lack Thereof

Jamie recoiled towards the far wall as the snarl deepened in Bunnymund's throat, filling the burrow with a constant, jagged rumble. Jack rolled his eyes, but remained guarded under the rabbit's piercing gaze.

A soft rustling flitted about as the blonde little girl rose up from the nest. Blinking deep, green eyes, her sleepiness quickly formed into speculation at the sight of Jack and her brother cornered by the large rabbit. Swallowing the growing fear for Jamie's life, she quietly, but clearly, called Bunny's name.

With weapons and hackles raised, the Pooka stared down his opponents, ears bent back defensively and eyes flashing angrily between the boys. He reeled back a boomerang, ready to strike before his nose twitched and his eyes widened. Sighing between clenched teeth and a snarl, Bunny gradually lowered his weapons.

"Frost," the rabbit exclaimed with underlying drowsiness. "What in blazes are you doing here?"

Jack hummed nonchalantly as he threw an arm around Jamie's shoulders, the younger boy relaxing a little in the embrace. "We were in the neighborhood," Jack explained, ruffling the kid's hair. "Thought we'd drop by."

"At two in the morning?" Bunny groaned, swiveling to set his weapons on the nightstand, running a free paw through Sophie's messy hair in the process. When he turned back to face the winter spirit he buried his face in his paws. "Crikey," he muttered between furry fingers. "Don't you know not not wake a sleeping Pooka and his kit?"

"No, and what a greeting we got," Jack said, grin broadening. "Oh ho! She's your _kit_, now?"

"Rack off, frostbite," Bunnymund growled.

Jack coughed a laugh. "I dare you to make me, cottontail."

As the two Guardians bickered, Jamie quietly made his way to the corner. When Bunny's voice unexpectedly rose in volume for a brief moment, Jamie sighed and jumped backwards to sit on the edge of the nest next to his sister.

"It seriously sounds like they're two parents arguing over their kids," Jamie grinned slightly, pointing to Bunny and Jack. "What do you think, Soph?" The girl giggled with a hand in front of her smiling mouth, but said nothing. Jamie slowly turned to give her a fond look.

Due to the few years that had gone by – and North's severe lack of helpful knowledge of being bonded – Sophie and Jamie now appeared to be around the same age. If not for the hair and eye color, they could've passed for twins. Sophie had certainly grown a few inches, and Jamie will never admit that she's slightly taller than him. She still wore her messy hair down, but was now parted to reveal her full, lively eyes.

Sophie's vocabulary was the major change. Rather than short words, full sentences now sprang from her lips. However, ironically, she tended to stay relatively silent. She didn't have very many friends back in Burgess, and could often be found roaming the quiet serenity of the Warren nearly all hours of the day. Bunnymund and Sophie were the only residents in the Warren capable of human speech, and, at the same time, didn't need it. If they ever lengthily conversed with each other it was almost always through emotion and thought sharing, as well as a few spoken words.

Sophie bit her lip as Jack countered one of Bunny's light insults. "How long do you think they'll go at it this time," she asked with voice small, but bright as always.

"Their current record's forty minutes," Jamie mused with a shrug. "Maybe they'll beat it." With a sigh, Jamie flexed his jaw. Feeling his sister's eyes upon him, he slowly turned to fully face her. "How's…" Jamie rubbed the back of his neck before meeting her gaze. "How's mom?"

Sophie's tender smirk melted away, teeth returning to worry her lower lip. "She…she's fine, Jamie. She actually just got a job promotion." The little girl looked sideways at her brother. "But-"

"Hold that thought," Jamie held up a finger as they turned their attention back to the Guardians.

"Jack," Bunny said more evenly, running a claw below a long ear. "I don't-"

"It attacked us, Bunny," Jack said, grip tightening around his staff. "Its buddy even joined the party!"

"Look," the Pooka tried to reason. "I don't know what attacked you, but none of you got hurt, right? Whatever they were, they're gone now. If they were truly bent on hurting you then you'd still be fightin' 'em." With a tired grunt, Bunny turned back to the kids. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I-"

"What if they attack again," Jack said, eyebrows creasing further.

Bunny sighed, draping one foot over the nest and gathering a discarded blanket to wrap around Sophie. "If you're truly worried about it, go to North," Bunny said before Jamie jumped away for the Pooka to return to bed.

"Wait a minute," Jack pointed to the rabbit as Jamie walked sluggishly over to him. "I thought Pooka's were supposed to be, like, really old. And you don't even know what those monsters are?"

Bunnymund rolled his eyes as he tucked the covers around a confused Sophie. "I may be ancient, but creatures of mystery and _wonder_ tend to be North's expertise." He wagged a dark eyebrow at Sophie. "And not _one_ word about my old age."

The little girl's giggle sounded melodically, bringing a soft smile to the rabbit's face. "But what's going on," she asked after composing herself.

"Nothing, ankle biter," Bunny said with a casual shrug. "Just Jack causing trouble again."

"Dude," Jamie's mouth dropped slightly. "He was sleeping."

"Ah, speaking of which, I really need to catch up on that right now." Bunnymund lounged back against the dirt wall. "I let you two practice in the Warren during the day, but I won't have you creating a ruckus while I'm asleep."

"Fine," Jack said, showing the palms of his hands. "We're going. Come one, kiddo," the winter spirit grumbled as he hooked his staff over his shoulder and brought Jamie into his arms. "Looks like we're sleeping at the Pole tonight."

"Um," Jamie muttered against the Guardian's chest. "Can…can we," the boy met the expectant cerulean orbs. "not fly right now."

Though astonished, the statement was perfectly understandable. Truthfully, Jack didn't want to be flying either, but how else would they get to the workshop; Bunny was certainly in no mood to open a rabbit hole for them and Jack didn't have a snow globe.

Jamie dipped a hand into one of the pockets of his cloak. "We could-" A frigid hand cupped his less chilly one through the leather, stalling the search.

"I told you," Jack shook his head. "Your snow globe is for emergencies only."

Jamie cocked his head. "Being chased by creepy hooded spirits isn't an emergency?"

"They aren't chasing us now, kid." The wise-crack barely went noticed by Jamie as the child rested his head on the navy blue of his shoulder, as if he couldn't hold himself up much longer. Jack's huff came out as a small yawn. Though he could possibly go another night without sleep, Jamie certainly couldn't, and he realized that a visit to North's would probably have to wait. He pursed his lips, eyes idly inspecting the interior of the burrow before falling back to the Pooka.

"Hey, Bunny," Jack beckoned, making the rabbit crack an eye open and growl irritably under his breath. "Think we could use two of your guest bedrooms?"

"Right," Bunny scoffed, closing the eye and propping his arms behind his head. "Sandy's told me how your emotions get when you dream. I won't have you getting frost everywhere." Sighing, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Fine, I'll make you a tunnel to North's. I actually left one of my best boomerangs in the Globe Room and wouldn't mind getting it back." He reached out an unusually gentle paw to shake Sophie awake. "I'll be back in a minute, little ankle biter," he said below a whisper. "You all right by yourself?"

Sophie nodded and hummed contentedly. Fisting her hands to her chest – a nervous habit she adopted from Jamie, though _she_ did it when she was at ease – she curled her knees in tighter before deep breaths drifted her out of consciousness.

* * *

With a loud whoop and a back flip, Jack held Jamie tighter, staff and a hand held firmly behind his small back. Jack couldn't understand how Jamie was able to sleep through something as fun and energetic as this!

Bunny was running several feet ahead of Jack's playful romping through the tunnels, an arrogant smile playing on his features. He would question Jack's preference between ice skating and rabbit tunnel surfing once they reached the surface. When Jack had gained enough speed and ground to catch up with the Pooka, Bunnymund leaped to and off a side wall and veered upward.

Right before he breeched the outside world, the fur of his neck bristled, whiskers twitching at the sudden change in the air. When he finally reached the surface and jumped onto the stone floor of the Globe Room, his smile dropped into an almost horrific frown. The rabbit hole closed behind the winter spirit and Jack was about to question the stiffness of Bunny's stance before his eyes fell on North and the Globe of Belief.

Wrapped in a dark red robe, swords clenched and ready at his sides, stood the Guardian of Wonder glaring furiously at the Globe. Everything was quiet during that time of the evening. No one or nothing stirred, except for the slumbering child, the three Guardians, and the black, hissing string of sand that coiled and twined slowly around the Globe.

"This isn't right," Bunnymund whispered.


	5. Pest Control

_* Thank you to those who have reviewed so far. I love the compliments and constructive criticism. Also, thank you to those who have favorited and are following this story!_

Pest Control

Jamie snapped awake at the sound of the hissing sand and he reeled around in Jack's grip, struggling in the single arm as the winter spirit held his readied staff in the other hand.

North growled at the thin spindles of black sand that snaked around the Globe of Belief. However, the wave wasn't big nor strong-looking. The dark sand wormed its way to the tip-top of the Globe, spiraling and meshing into a solid mass. And when it was all gathered together, the sand arched before shooting upright, excess sand spilling away to take shape. The Nightmare's hooves clopped carelessly against the region it stood on, the North Pole. The Nightmare whinnied coarsely, as if chuckling, and placed its front hooves near the top wooden ring that kept the Globe balanced.

"Get back," North hollered with swords bent fiercely at his sides. He shot a brief look to his comrades.

"No way, mate," Bunnymund growled as he gladly found his discarded boomerang, bringing it out from under one of the worktables and taking aim. "There may be more. We wouldn't let you-"

"Get back, I say!" He even cursed in Russian for added irritability. "Get away from there," he called out almost desperately as he slashed a sword at the air in protest.

Jack quirked an eyebrow as he vaguely noticed Jamie sliding out of his embrace, his staff slowly lowering as the Nightmare snorted. It rolled its yellow eyes and reared back only to pound its hooves thunderously against the Arctic Ocean.

"Get down from there," North shouted as if he was scolding the family dog. "You'll throw off the rotation's balance."

However, the Nightmare only snorted and shook its mane, glaring halfheartedly down at the Guardian. The sizzling of sand returned. Another mass of blackness swarmed briefly around the Nightmare before taking place next to it, assuming the same, horse-like shape. The two Nightmares gave each other impish glances, the same look that Jack and Jamie exchanged whenever they wanted to play a prank.

He'd had enough. With a heavy grunt, North flung one of his dual swords. The weapon rang as it spiraled through the air at an alarming speed. With a surprised yelp, the two Nightmares jumped and reared back as the sword landed with a shuddering halt, tip sheathing itself within the smooth wood of the top axis.

The Nightmares whinnied before shaking their heads and soaring upwards. They dashed over the numerous floor levels before diving up and out of the large skylight, phasing into black clouds and zipping quietly to join the pitch dark horizon. As fast as they went was as fast as they came. North peeled his gaze from the sky to look at where the Nightmares had been standing.

"Dingle!" North called out to one of his elves who strode joyfully into the Globe Room as if nothing even happened. The Guardian put his remaining weapon into the spare sheath near the control panel. "Go and retrieve my sword," North said. The elf's exuberant smile quickly dropped as he took in the sword's incredibly high, out-of-reach location.

"What's…?" Jamie tried to say, but was ignored by North as the Guardian started walking tiredly down the hallway to his bedroom. Jack, Jamie, and Bunnymund exchanged dubious glances as they were completed ignored.

"Hang on, mate," Bunny swiftly hooked his paw over North's shoulder to stop him. "What's going on here?"

"'Is nothing," North waved a hand, trying to discreetly jerk from the rabbit's grasp. "Small Nightmare problem is all."

"Maybe you ought to call pest control," Jack said with a snide grin.

North laughed once with a large handing gesturing to himself. "I _am_ pest control!"

"How long have these Nightmares been here?" Bunny said seriously, and ignored the 'buzz-kill' comment Jack had muttered, as well as Jamie's light chuckling.

"They've been coming here for several months, I believe," North shrugged as he adjusted his robe. "They've also been giving Sandy quite a bit of grief, as well."

This negligence caused Bunny's ears and jaw to drop. "M-m-months," he spluttered. "Why didn't you tell us, North? We could've helped y-"

"Bunny, Bunny," North chided with a gentle smile, patting the Pooka's cheek as if they were back to discussing the importance of Easter over Christmas, vice versa. "They are not hurting anything."

"Uh, hello," Jack lightly added to the conversation, Jamie wandering into his peripheral vision as the kid wanted to get a better look at the Globe, as per usual. "Didn't we have a war with these things just a few years ago?"

North nodded. "But Pitch is still too weak to be in control of his Nightmares." Bunnymund twitched an ear at this. "They are not acting as violent," North clarified. "Nor are there many left." Jamie knelt down to pick at the leftover black sand between tiles on the floor, idly listening to North explain the Nightmares' lack of magical energy and their inability to grow and multiply.

Tiredness swam invitingly around his head, coaxing him into sleeping upright. The boy shook his head, scowled, and started rubbing the pads of all of his fingers together. He smiled when the friction caused sparks of frost to crackle and collect at the tips, and he brought them up to rub over his eyes. He felt the familiar chill as the blue static zig-zagged over his face and into his pores. Jamie's eyelids fluttered, the refreshing cold making his eyes less heavy, and a triumphant smile splayed on his lips. He was about to turn to face his Guardian before a large rabbit hole opened up beside him.

"Where're you going," Jamie asked as the Pooka rubbed his furry palms together in mild irritation.

"I got my boomerang, so I'm going back to your sister," Bunnymund explained, lifting up a back paw in preparation to leap. "She'll be wondering where I am. And _don't_-" He pointed a stern look and claw at Jack. "-wake me up at two in the morning _ever_ again." Upon seeing the winter spirit's carefree grin, the Pooka grumbled under his breath before diving down into the Earth. The thumping of heavy paws reverberated out of the tunnel before the entrance caved and closed, leaving a single, small, bloomed flower where the hole used to be.

Jamie blinked at the spot where Bunny disappeared before standing straight and trotting to Jack's side. "But those Nightmares-"

"They are merely pests now," North explained. "Without guidance they are running rogue. They are no longer being commanded to bring chaos and harm. Though, they've been strangely skittish nowadays." North scratched his chin as Jamie's eyebrows scrunched together in uncertainty.

Honestly, the most the Nightmares could do on their own was spread a few bad dreams here and there, and without Pitch they wouldn't have the notion to bring the world into darkness. Still, the Guardians always talked as if the Nightmares alone were their enemy. It made Jamie's head spin incredulously, but upon seeing the conviction in North's eyes, he found himself mentally nodding in agreement.

"Now," North clapped his hands together as he started to turn away. "'Is time for bed. I suggest you two do the same. You wouldn't want Sandy to-"

"I actually have something I need to talk to you about," Jack interrupted as he walked closer to his friend. North stopped, closed his eyes, and rubbed a tired hand over his face. "Official Guardian business."

North stilled his movements and gradually lowered his hands. Jack's semi-monotone voice and the flash in his cerulean orbs made no room for humor, but the boy still stood with the same casualness he displayed on a daily basis. It was an abnormal combination in Jack's case.

North hummed idly before nodding. He twitched a finger in his direction. "We will talk in my workroom. In the meantime," the Guardian said, turning his warm eyes down at Jamie. "You look tired. There's a spare bedroom down the hall." He pointed over Jamie's head, opposite of the direction of his workroom. "Please. Use it."

"Thanks," Jamie said with his signature wide smile. "But maybe later."

"Suit yourself," North shrugged before turning to lead the Guardian and his bond to the workroom.

"Hang on," Jack muttered to kneel in front of Jamie. Curiosity flitting over his features, Jack moved his pale thumb towards Jamie face and ran his fingernail gently across Jamie's brow. The scraping of ice met the child's ears as Jack tested the bits of frost between his thumb and index finger.

Jack hummed impressively. "I'd rather you didn't force yourself to stay awake," he mused with the spreading of a proud smile. "But good technique! You'll be freezing bullies' rears to the pavement before you know it." He stood up with a comical smile.

"Actually," I matched his grin. "I think I'd rather be freezing Bunny's Warren."

Jack slung an arm over Jamie's shoulders. "And _that's _why you're my apprentice." Both boys held twin comedic expressions, similar to that of the two intruding Nightmares, before catching up with the the Guardian of Wonder.

* * *

"I've never heard of these creatures," North admitted as he ran his ringed finger over the small frost pattern on the window. An involuntary tremor ran down Jamie's spine as he, too, gazed at Jack's recreation of the creature from the alley.

Jack blew snowy hair from his forehead. "You've got to know something on them," he said, trying not to grit his teeth as a short, brief tremor of anxiety exuded from Jamie.

"I'm afraid not. Bunny was right; wondrous creatures may be my specialty, but…"

Jack's lips pressed together. "These things attacked Jamie," the spirit said after a while, venom dripping into his unusually clipped tone. "They attacked a _child_. Wait, now, what are we again…" Jack lightly tapped the hook of his staff against his temple before exaggerated realization lit his features. "Oh, that's right! We're Guardians."

Given the situation, North somehow found small humor in which Jack, the rookie of the lot, was telling him what their job was. However, no matter how sardonic Jack sounded, he was right. Even so, North scratched at his beard.

"We are immortal, yes. But, just like humans, we are also uncertain of all that lies in this world." North sighed before walking to the closet in the far corner. He opened the solid ice doors and grabbed a few books, tossing them on the tables behind him.

"Besides," Jack and Jamie heard the man say as one book accidentally flew to the floor, narrowly missing Jack's toes. "They could just be lonely spirits walking the Earth."

"Like ghosts?" Jamie tilted his head.

"Exactly," North briefly looked back with a wide grin. "You know," he continued, books thumping and colliding to and against the workbenches as he tossed them freely over his shoulders. "These creatures probably have certain territories. You must've stumbled upon their land. Perhaps they were simply feeling protective."

They_ were feeling protective?_ Jack mentally scoffed, memories flashing back to the alley, back to the corner where the monster had pinned his Jamie against the trashcans. As he thought about the oddly uncomfortable icy temperature the creatures had wrought, Jamie's mumbled talking crept into his ears. And his words made his blue eyes snap up in the child's direction.

"What did you say?" Jack spoke clearly and cautiously, not sure if he wanted to hear those words again.

Jamie looked down and rubbed a hand over his leather-cloaked arm, fidgeting to get better situated on the countertop where he sat. "If it was territorial," Jamie flexed his jaw as he repeated the statement. "Then it wouldn't have followed me – I mean, us."

"Hang on," Jack shook his head, ignoring a heavy Mathematics textbook that sailed just inches over his head. "You've seen these things before?"

Jamie winced at Jack's flat, even tone. "Yeah. I saw one of them a few nights ago."

The child blinked as Jack's emotions flooded directly into his mind. Often times, especially when he still went to school, Jamie would hear Jack's thoughts and numerous rants ringing in his head during class. Though the thoughts weren't really directed at him, they never bothered Jamie. However, Jack's emotions were different matters, often giving the child headaches, exceptional migraines that he'd never actually told Jack about.

This time was no exception. Jack's emotions were jumbled, giving off worry, irritation, confusion, and growing anger all at once. Jamie winced, but did or said nothing to calm the spirit. Centuries of seclusion had taken its toll, giving the immortal teen no room for a proper outlet as to unleash his emotions. Therefore, telling Jack of his headaches, his own distress, would hardly help. So Jamie sat, bare heels brushing the stone countertop when he crossed his legs, as he allowed Jack to quietly vent. But even Jamie knew that wasn't a healthy method.

Jamie yelped and ducked as a thick, brown-leather book nearly smashed his head in. The book smacked broadside against the wall before sliding down with a heavy clatter on the table, just inches behind Jamie. He felt Jack's irritation as the winter spirit shot a glare at North.

"What are you looking for anyway," Jack demanded, but shook his head in an attempt to calm himself.

"Book on monsters. And I think I may have almost hit Jamie with it," came North's muffled reply from the depths of the closet. He closed the doors with a click and reeled to face the boys. "If this creature was territorial," he explained, swiping his hands together to remove excess dust. "Then, we would have a whole library to search through." North placed his hands on the table, next to Jamie. "But – thanks to Jamie's tidbit of information – with its supposed malicious intent, I'd say we'd be looking for a monster, which certainly narrows it down for us."

"I feel like that's profiling," Jamie mumbled. From his position in the corner, Jack couldn't help it as his lips twisted into a crooked grin. Be it Guardian or monster, Jamie didn't have it in him to be scornful or unkind. Sighing to himself, he propped his staff against the wall and meandered over to glance next to Jamie's shoulder.

The child ran a finger over the dark siding of the leather book. Before he opened it, Jamie noted that it had no title or symbols on it, giving zero indication of it being a book on monsters. Still, as Jack and North gathered around the boy, Jamie opened the hefty book to release dust and a musty stench from its bindings. The boy tilted his head as curiosity took it upon itself to make him look through the first couple of pages. After a moment, Jamie arched his eyebrows bemusedly.

"There is no index," North explained, sliding the book toward himself.

The Guardian flipped rapidly through the pages, eyes just fast enough to catch every title on every page. As he did this, Jack watched intently, not noticing that Jamie's eyes were trying to slide shut. After a minute, North shut the book with an echoing clap, making Jamie jerk out of the limbo of sleep and consciousness.

"No dice," North said simply.

"Dude," Jack exclaimed, yanking the book from his hands. "You hardly even looked!"

"Over the centuries, I've learned to read fast," he said, followed by a light, distant chuckle. "My old master made sure of that, during our many lessons."

Jack placed the text in front of Jamie. "This can't be the only book." He hovered and jumped on top of another table to sift through several discarded tomes and documents.

North frowned despondently. "'Is only book that provides information on the most lesser known monsters. Keep looking if you must, but you may not come up with anything."

Jack tried to hide the tinge of embarrassment. He jabbed a finger over his left shoulder towards Jamie. "He's still teaching me how to read, so this is going to be difficult." Jack leapt down and knelt to the floor, grabbing an overturned book. He reached behind him and took his staff from the wall, positioning it perfectly vertical. With a nimble jump, he landed right on the hook and crouched to set the open book on his knees. "But I can go off of pictures." Jack's nose scrunched in near disgust as he flipped through the pages before tossing it over his shoulder. Jack leaned almost too precariously as he reached for another book. "Why do none of these books have pictures," he said with a small, rather childish whine.

North glanced at Jack before turning to Jamie, and the child could only a muster a small shrug before going back to the book. They paid no heed as North sighed and sat down on his red office chair, loosely plucking a book from a nearby table and reading its contents.

Jamie utterd a chuckle as he turned through the monster book's picture-filled pages. As he flipped through it his chocolate orbs grew wider and wider. He was definitely going to ask to borrow it sometime! Each pale-yellow document in the book held inky pictures of monsters, and legendary creatures with lengthy descriptions under their names; height, realm, legend, abilities, and more. He became more transfixed as he read the mysterious and sometimes frightening summaries of the creatures that filled each page. But none seemed to contain the monster from the alley.

For Jamie, they almost didn't need a book; he knew what these things were like. Cold, dark, cloaked figures with rotted bones for hands. A monster that announced its arrival with the drop in temperature and the surrounding of shadows. Its lanky form always bordered on hypnotic as it circled its prey.

Jamie tried to suppress his unease toward the monster, knowing surely that Jack would feel his emotions. Jamie's eyebrows came together. He was in obvious stress when he first met the creature by himself. Jack could sense Jamie's every emotion, his fear being the most potent, not to mention his nightmares.

It was odd. Why did Jack never question him when he returned from the alley behind the butcher shop? Surely he would've felt his ward's distress at the time. If Jack did, he would've immeditaley flown them out of there, gone like bats out of hell, as far from the shadows as possible.

Jamie's reeling mind halted. His thoughts tested that word as if it were a term from an ancient foreign language. Before his thoughts could even catch up with his body, his fingers were already flicking hastily through the book. He stumbled clumsily over the pages as he backtracked, hoping that the picture he might've caught a glimpse of wasn't from his own imagination.

Finally, his fingers stalled, eyes squinting and skimming slowly over the picture and its faintly-printed description, reading word for word just to be sure he had something reasonable to go off of.

"Uh, North, Jack," Jamie called out after a moment, causing North to look up. Jack's gaze snapped in Jamie's direction. Then came a nudge in the back of the kid's mind; no doubt Jack's thoughts intently searching his own. Jack and Jamie exchanged stares before the younger boy prodded the page with a finger.

Jack bounded down from his staff after North had stood up, both Guardians striding until stopping next to Jamie. All eyes were on the book, staring at a name that Jack could even read and recognize.

In one of the first few pages of the monster book there was a picture that depicted an outline of a tall, gaunt figure with long shadows circling around it. The description was not exactly legible as age, use, and shelfware took its toll on the frayed pages and fading print. However, clear as day and in perfect condition was the title, the name of the figure that sat right under its dark, shadowy, silhouetted picture.

"_The Boogeyman"_


	6. Compromise

_* As I said before, there will be times where "The Bond" and "Reapers Realm" will intertwine, but also completely contradict the other. An almost AU to "The Bond", if you will. I will try to make things as less confusing as possible._

_Anyway, thank you to all who have read/reviewed so far. It not only makes my day, but I also love the constructive criticism!_

_By the way, as probably know from a previous chapter, I referenced the "Guardians of Childhood" book series. **I don't own the "Guardians of Childhood."**_

Compromise

After staring at the northern lights in a brief bout of amazement, Sophie soon found herself sitting next to her brother on the two steps that led into the open foyer of the Globe Room. Sophie bent forward to get a closer look as the morning rays of sunlight peeked through the windows to reflect off the specks of black sand still hidden between the floor tiles. The siblings exchanged dubious glances as they looked back at the Guardians.

"I still don't see the problem," Jack said with the usual crooked grin, tossing a ball of glass up and down as if it were one of his snowballs. "We go in, get information, and then we get the heck out."

Bunnymund, now wide-awake and rested, ever irritably twitched an ear. "It's not that simple, mate."

"How so?" He stopped tossing the snow globe and gave a pointed look to the rabbit. "His own Nightmares shoved him into the ground. No doubt that would batter him."

"But that was a couple years ago," the Pooka countered, crossing his arms and stepping closer to the juvenile Guardian. "He might have enough power to come back."

Jack flicked his gaze to the corner, next to a cluster of bumbling elves. "Have you noticed any unusual bad dreams lately," Jack asked. 'Unusual' meaning not of the subconscious. Through paranoid centuries of anticipating the Boogeyman's return, they eventually realized that kids themselves created the majority of nightmares. Whereas Pitch was manipulative, bending and twisting their dreams into more terrifying images.

After a brief fidgeting with the rim of his mug, offered by North of course, and a thoughtful stare toward the Globe of Belief, Sandman shook his head.

Gold sand started swirling above the little man's head. Bright figures formed to take the shape of the Boogeyman and his Nightmares. Pitch's image started shrinking back as the forms of his minions lunged at him. The images wove chaotically together, swirling into a miniature tornado before curling in on itself and exploding outward. Jamie pulled his legs further to his chest as to dodge the tiny flecks of sleep sand. The boy had yet to get a proper night's sleep and as much as he wanted to nod off, he didn't want to miss anything between the Guardians. If that meant dodging stray gold sand, then so be it.

Jack smile victoriously as he looked back at Bunny. "See," he nodded his head at the dream giver. "Even he agrees that Pitch is weak right now."

"Look, Jack," Tooth interjected before Bunny could say a word. She flew closer to the winter spirit, placing a hand on his shoulder and locking eyes with him. "He may be weak, but it still wouldn't be…wise. All of us leaving at once would leave the children vulnerable." Tooth removed her hand to gesture at the lights covering the Globe.

"First of all," Jack said. "We'd only be gone for a few minutes, an hour tops. Second, we don't _all_ have to go." Jack turned his attention to North who was leaning back against the control panel in front of the Globe. "Why did you even call them all here?" The spirit stole a brief glance at Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny. "No offense, but this doesn't exactly need to be a group effort."

"You said it attacked a kid," Tooth said after looking at Jamie.

"If these creatures are out to harm children," Bunny added. "It involves all of us."

Jack let a brief silence fall as he pursed his lips. He hummed under his breath before speaking. "So," he drawled. "At the expense that we might have to save the world again, what's the plan?"

"Look," Bunnymund said, standing taller and taking a boomerang from his stash. "Let's just find the nasty buggers and-"

"We don't know what they are," North interjected. "Or what they do. It would be a blind battle."

"As would going to see Pitch," the rabbit reminded, pointing his weapon at his old friend.

"But with all of you there and Pitch still not in control of fearlings," Jamie piped up, throwing his two-cents into the conversation. "it would minimize any risks. And without the hassle, you'd be in and out in no time."

Bunny muttered after a thought-filled silence."Kid's got a point."

North sighed resolutely. "And I can always have the yetis monitor the Globe in our absence. If anything happens, they will be the first to notice." North's sights settled on Jamie and Sophie as the kids stood up. "But they cannot come. Regardless of whatever powers they have, it would be too dangerous for them to accompany us." North tossed one of his snow globes to Bunnymund.

The rabbit nodded and as much as he wanted the little girl back at the Warren, school would be starting in just two hours. "Time to go, ankle biter," his gruff voice dropped to a tender murmur when Sophie jogged right up to him. With a quick shake of the orb, Bunnymund smashed it to the floor, revealing a large portal that held flashes of the child's pink bedroom.

As soon Sophie gave the Pook a hug and jumped into the portal, Jamie leapt down from the step to follow his sister. A frigid, pale hand against his chest brought him to a halt. "Where're you going, kiddo," Jack asked him.

Jamie's eyebrows knitted together, before separating. "Oh," the child quickly remembered, a twinge of sadness messing with his heart.

Jack sighed, looking at the spot where Sophie had disappeared and slowly running a hand through his bond's hair. "I know, kid," he whispered. Jamie's head tilted ever so slightly as Jack's tone sounded more apologetic than sympathetic.

Jamie could've gone with Sophie. However, that would not only prove dangerous, but confusing as well. For whatever reason, those monsters had followed Jamie, attacked Jack in the process. What would happen if he led them straight to his sister? His mother?

His mother would be very difficult, at that. It would be tricky for Jamie to come up with a believable excuse if Sophie's mom suddenly found the strange little boy in her house. He could possibly pass of as one of Sophie's friends, but he would have to attend school with Sophie that day. And thanks to North's record keeping, and Sandy and Tooth's memory skills, Jamie was no longer in nor remembered by the school system. In fact, Jamie's existence could only ever be proven by his sister and his friends back in Burgess.

Similarly to Jack, Jamie no longer existed to the world. Though human and still seen by everyone, as he got used to it Jamie truly understood Jack's occasional frustration. Whether fortunate or unfortunately, Pitch held the same problem.

But they wouldn't be seeing him to share sympathies; they'd be there on a mission.

After another snappy argument between Jack and Bunny in regards to leaving Jamie alone in the workshop, Jack finally convinced his comrades that it would be safer to keep Jamie near him even if meant him having to go to Pitch's lair.

"You're still putting him into danger." Bunnymund wanted to slap his forehead, watching from the corner of his eye as North summoned a couple yetis to watch the workshop in their absence.

"Again," Jack said, retaining the same exasperated desire after arguing with the Pooka. "The guy doesn't have much energy at the moment." Jack's casual features slid into a frown as he leaned in close to the rabbit. "If stray Nightmares can get into the workshop then so can these monsters." His voice dropped to a darker pitch. "And I don't want them near Jamie."

Jack then blinked, as if the action was a literal switch back into his lax demeanor and tipped his chin at North. The Guardian nodded back before taking a snow globe from his pocket. North stole a readied glance at the others. Then, he spoke the location aloud before shattering the globe against the floor in front of the control panel, opening a portal that could fit all of them at once. They each checked their person for weapons and, North, an extra snow globe, before walking forward.

Unlike last time, the Guardians wanted to get to the root of the problem before it escalated.

* * *

"Remember what I told you," Jack muttered to his apprentice as they walked blindly through the dank tunnel. "If he attacks I want you to use your snow globe." Jamie nodded right before his cloak snagged on a stalagmite. The kid tugged it free as Jack gripped his staff tighter. "However," he added. "If he just starts downright irritating you, chuck a snowball at him." Jamie giggled when the spirit winked at him, but their grins faltered as they crossed under a gray, gloomy and crumbling bridge.

As the Guardians and the kid continued onward, a dim and yellowish light slowly filtered the caverns. Every now and then, Jamie would jump at the sudden creak of a looming cage, the hiss of crumbling dust, or the blurred movement of a following shadow.

Jack's hand instinctively moved to cover one of Jamie's shoulders and pull him closer. The winter spirit's breathing deepened as he honed in on the child's thoughts and emotions… and came up with nothing. In fact, Jamie's mind sounded like a seashell one would put up to their ear, eerie and empty. The top half of Jack's bodied immediately swiveled in his direction, just to double check if the kid was even there. Jamie said nothing about his friend's odd stare and just continued walking.

Jack turned the opposite way to silently ask his comrades if they could hear it too, but as soon as he turned away, the eerie drone of Jamie's thoughts had drifted and Jack could finally feel the child's emotions again, which were jittery and nervous. He also noticed the way North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy walked – and floated. They took resolute strides, job serious and focusing.

Jack was the only one who seemed to outwardly acknowledge the state of Pitch's lair. The overall sheen of the place had become dimmer, almost lackluster. Its pale light no longer illuminated certain corners, and its gray pillars and chambers looked gloomier than normal, if that was possible. Shadows followed them everywhere, but moved with the grace of an obese, hunting cat. Jack scratched the corner of his jaw as the darkness would creep up on them, coming within a couple inches before they would stall and drift away as if too lazy to even bother.

As they passed Pitch's small-scale version of the Globe of Belief, the group of shadows that were once again trying to sneak up on them didn't even stop, but made abrupt U-turns and fled to multiple corners below and from the platform.

"Come to kick me while I'm down, I see."

At the silence broken by the velvet voice, they all drew their weapons and immediately spun around to face the owner of said voice. They had to adjust their sights upward as a shadow shifted from above. Staring away toward the opposite wall and lounging across a precariously leaning pillar was the dark form of the Boogeyman.

"And to what do I owe this…wonderful visit," he purred, jaw moving around his words, but body otherwise unmoving. His blurry outline was the only thing visible in the darkness.

"We've come here to ask you something," Jamie said boldly, steeping forward until he was right between Jack and Tooth. It was only then did the young boy realize that he didn't have a single defensive weapon on him.

A yellow, Cheshire smile split Pitch's shadowed face with a creepy glow. "The last light," he chuckled. "You know, I've often entertained the idea of kidnapping you, getting my revenge." His words trailed off as sharp, threatening tendrils of frost slowly snaked brightly through the darkness. Jamie and the Guardians could see Pitch move his hand away before the ice made contact, causing Jack to smile inwardly. "Was and is a stupid idea, for the moment. Besides, I'm too distracted by other things." The Boogeyman's back shifted higher against the wall. "In the past few years, you've actually become very well-known in the immortal world. Many know who you are now." He paused at Jamie's mildly astonished features. "That isn't a good thing."

Jack wanted to verbally agree before North stepped in, asking if Jack could recreate the drawing. With a brisk nod, the winter spirit held his staff inches above the ground. Like a sprinkler system, spouts of frost spouted from the butt of the staff and over the space until it took on the shape of the monsters from the alley.

"We want to know what these things are," Bunnymund pointed a boomerang at Jack's drawing.

Tooth flitted forward to lean over the ghostly outline. "And we thought you might-"

Pitch placed a hand over his forehead. "Can't North help you," he sighed exasperatedly. "It's finally morning and I need my rest. Am I right, Sanderson?" He asked his fellow, nocturnal dream-giver. Pitch turned his glowing, cat-like gaze to North. "Anyway, don't you have an entire library to look through?"

"We cannot find any information on this creature," North explained with a wave of a sword. He looked between Pitch and his friends. "We believe you know more about it than we do." Jamie thought he heard the Boogeyman repeat the word 'believe' before his shadowy form sank into the wall like a drifting ghost.

More darkness parted as a tall form separated from the shadows. Pitch's cloak dusted noiselessly against the cobblestone floor as he glided forward. With more light, Jack finally noticed the man's hunched figure and the dark circles resting under his eyes. Pitch never once looked at his 'guests'; his sights were set directly down on the haunting image of the monster that attacked Jack and Jamie.

For a long time, Pitch said and did nothing, only his eyes moved back and forth as he scrutinized the picture. Then, his lips parted. "Well, what do you know," he muttered very low, but oddly lacking surprise.

"What?" Tooth demanded, wings humming faster in curiosity.

Pitch finally looked up at the Guardians. "You really are stupid, you know," he snapped. The acknowledgment didn't last long, however, as Pitch turned around. "You made the problem," he said over his shoulder. "Now, fix it." On that note, the shadows swallowed their King again.

"Hang on," Bunnymund hollered incredulously. He hopped forward in an attempt to follow their long-time enemy before something black and white sprung from the darkness and smacked him across the face. Jack tried to stifle a chuckle as Bunny peeled the newspaper away. However, when the Pooka gasped and turned to show Jamie and the rest of them the headline, no one was laughing, even Jack who could just barely make out the words.

"_Multiple Kids Disappear From Hometown_," the central article read, with a picture of a small city which Jamie recognized wasn't too far from Burgess.

"Lights have been disappearing from the Globe. Have you noticed?" Pitch said, walking into view again. At their bemused glances, Pitch sneered. "I have." Pitch pointed a long finger down at the drawing.

"These monsters," he continued. "have been around since the Dark Ages." As Pitch spoke, Jamie crouched next to the drawing to run the pads of his fingers against the melting frost. "During the first several years, I thought they were part of my fearling army." A darker shadow crossed his features. "But I soon found that they were against me. Every time my Nightmares went to frighten a child, the monsters came long before us."

Sandman quirked an eyebrow.

"No," Pitch answered the unspoken question. "They did not save any child, rather, they stole them. Grabbing them and then _gone_, with the blink of an eye." Pitch waltzed away from the Guardians to circle his Globe. "Sometimes they _played_ with the children, getting in close until they hypnotized them, luring them away." Jamie stiffened at his words. However, Jack didn't take notice as he walked past the kid to follow Pitch's movements.

"What do they want with the children?" North brought his swords up further, walking closer to him as well.

"They," Pitch said, briefly glancing at North only to look back at his Globe. "are what I like to call 'Reapers'. And as I've come to learn, they aren't exactly interested in children."

Jack tore his gaze from the lights of New England and scoffed. "But you just said-"

"Children seemed to be their delicacy-" Jamie shuddered at the choice of words. "-but they went after adults as well." Pitch then hummed amusedly under his breath. "And pet dogs and barn cats, on the occasion." The Boogeyman scratched his chin as he turned a small manic grin towards the Guardians. "I always found that rather peculiar."

"What-" Jamie swallowed and stood up. "What exactly did they want with the kids?" He didn't forget to tag on 'adults and pets' at the end of his sentence.

Pitch tilted his head, grin widening. "That's the interesting part. I never knew what they desired. I only knew they were simply there. However, they tended to give my Nightmares a wide berth. Possibly because they were similar predators. The more Nightmares I had, the less I saw of them. Which goes back to my saying…" he paused to take a step closer. "You're all idiots."

Bunnymund huffed offensively, but Pitch didn't care to acknowledge him, he only continued by asking them for the definition of 'balance'.

"Though I wouldn't consider myself as such, good _and _evil must coexist," he growled as the Guardians exchanged semi-scolded glances. "I admit that what I did during that Easter could be considered…out of line…" His expression was neither sheepish nor joking. "But even I know there was still going to be good in the world, even if I destroyed the lot of you." He stole a glance in Jamie's direction, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. "With your dreams, wonder, hope, and _fun_, you've managed to influence a decent amount of children away from their fears, fears that they could possibly learn from. You've tipped the balance just as much as I had. With my Nightmares gone, this gives perfect leeway for more threatening_ issues._"

North leaned in close to Pitch, readied with more questions as the answers they were getting weren't enough in his mind. Pitch rolled his eyes, hardly interested in explaining anything and everything. Jack's gaze flickered between the two before he sighed, loosened his grip on his staff, and walked between North and Pitch, leaving Bunnymund, Sandy, and Tooth to sit bemusedly by Jamie.

"Maybe…" Jack paused to double-check his coming words. He stubbornly blew out a puff of air. "Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."

"What?" The other Guardians yelped collectively.

Jack ignored them. "You said your Nightmares and these monsters don't exactly get along. So, how about this," He pointed his shepherd's crook at Pitch's mildly shocked face. "We let you bring back your Nightmares, spread your dreams, get rid of these…Reapers," he tested out the name on his tongue. "And in return, we won't hassle you so long as you don't, oh, I don't know…try to plunge the world into darkness again."

Pitch blinked, then hummed thoughtfully. "A simple yet amusing proposition. I may hate you all, but even I know how to compromise," Pitch agreed with a nod, but held his frown. "But as you may recall,_ you_ let my Nightmares shove me back into my own home. _You_ let them weaken me. Because of that, I don't have enough energy to summon any more Nightmares. Let alone command them." Everyone, except Pitch, winced a little at his facts.

Jamie bit his lip. "So how do we fight them, then?"

"Do not bother," Pitch shook his head. He turned on his heels, and his feet lightly shuffled against the floor as he went to sit down on the tall, stone throne tucked in a far shadowed corner. He slumped back, all the while the Guardians stood awkwardly in place, watching him in near desperation.

"Give me a few decades," he said after a moment as a shadow gathered and slithered around his throat like a snake. "By then, my Nightmares shoulder return to me," Pitch paused to look at Jack. "And then I will meet your compromise."

The column of darkness brushed once more over the man's chest before a newspaper, rolled in a rubber band, dropped from the shadows and onto his lap. Flicking his wrist, he snapped off the band and unfurled the paper, a malicious grin spreading over his lips as he read the headline.

"Forgive me," Pitch said without looking up. "I should learn to share." With that said, he faced the newspaper towards Jamie and the Guardians, and they all stood straighter to look at yet another picture of a little town being used for the cover. Above the image was its title: "_More Children Missing, No Trace_".

Sandy's astonished gaping quickly formed into an angry glower. The only image that formed above his head was of the number ten.

"Sandy's right," Tooth nodded, a matching glare shrouding her gentle face. "If more headlines like this keep appearing," she exhaled. "At this rate, we can't wait a year, let alone ten."

"So, what do you plan on doing," Pitch, grinning in amusement, knelt forward to rest his elbow on the armrest and his chin in that hand. "Go to their dominion; handle the root of the problem there." He paused to cough a laugh. "If there even is a root."

"We'll do what we have to," Jack said, his staff flashing a bold cerulean blue. "If the kids are in danger-"

"Then we can't afford to leave them alone to go chase after monsters we've never fought before," Bunnymund reminded.

"Centuries ago you didn't know what Nightmares were, but you still fought them anyway."

"Frost, you know nothing about-"

"You'd be looking at a different playing field," Pitch sighed as he smoothly cut off their childish arguing. He stood slowly from his throne. "Reapers don't live anywhere in the known world. No," he said, striding to stop right behind Jamie, making the kid turn fully to see him. "They prefer their own domain, their own universe."

Then, he pointed back to his throne. He snapped his fingers, commanding the darkness to move away, revealing a cellar door right beneath the large chair.

"Why do you think I picked this location to be my lair," he turned to the Guardians. "Certainly not because of the pretty forest above us. Behind that cellar door is a different kind of darkness, one that even I feel stifled in." A distant thought clouded his eyes. "Behind that door lies their domain, their realm. And I've been guarding it for centuries." He briefly regarded their dubious expressions. "I don't like Reapers, their interference in my work got on my last nerve."

Sandman looked at Pitch, glared at him, and tapped his foot against the floor as golden sand took the shape of an open cellar door above his head.

"Ah, yes," Pitch nodded and smiled as if praising an elementary school student. "The entrance is wide open. They must've gotten out," he added with a maddening chuckle. "Again," he said, regaining his composure to stare seriously at his enemies. "_You_ wiped out my energy, _you_ destroyed nearly all of my fearlings. Therefore," he got in close to North's face. "It's your problem."

Pitch drew back and gave a sharp whistle out the side of his lips and more shadows returned, making the Guardians shift their feet as they slithered across the floors and walls. They gathered in front of Pitch's throne until they began swirling together, encasing the regal chair in a cyclone. All at once, the throne vanished as the shadows sped back into the darkest corners of the lair, leaving nothing but the wide-open, pitch darkness of the cellar door.

"And let me guess," Bunnymund crossed his arms and shot a glare at Pitch. "As soon as we go down that hole you'll shut the door behind us and trap us there."

Pitch ignored the jive. "Wherever Reapers are in the world, they always go back into that cellar. I suspect they may have a leader down there."

"Like bees returning to their hive and Queen," Jamie realized with a knowledgeable smile.

"I despise Reapers, they're annoying pests," Pitch said simply and emotionlessly. "Get rid of them."

Tooth immediately leaned in not only to remind the guys that they couldn't leave the world vulnerable, but for the fact that this plan was utterdly rebellious, if you could even call it a plan. They were ready to debate further, until Pitch suggested something that made them all stare incredulously at the man.

"You're crazy if you think we'd let you do that!" North barked after a long moment.

"Do I look as though I could seriously do harm at the moment?" Pitch pointed irately at his worn-down self. "My Nightmares may not like the Reapers, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't fight them. I still retain an ounce of my command and it'll be no skin off my remaining Nightmares if I ask them to go after the filthy monsters. Even then, that's not enough and I want these creatures gone just as much as you do.

"Now," he continued, tenting his hands in front of his chest. "I may not be able to do much at the moment, but my Nightmares can. You can either go to Reapers Realm and allow _me_ to watch over the world...

"Or you can watch every single child disappear right in front of your eyes."


	7. Dark Cellar

_* I referenced "The Guardians of Childhood" book series. **I don't own "The Guardians of Childhood" book series.**_

Dark Cellar

Very few times, Pitch had gone down the cellar in the Dark Ages. However, during that time, it was nothing more than a muddy hole in the ground, uncovered by any door. According to him, it would be no short trip for the Guardians. He promised a long journey indeed, but it seemed that Jack was the only one who noticed Pitch's negligence to _describe_ what they were up against. However, Jack waved this off when he quickly uncovered the next obstacle.

When they arrived at their usual guest bedroom at the Pole, Jamie breathlessly flopped back on the fur-covered bed and, after moment, slowly curled up on his side, letting his eyes fall shut. As he stepped over to the drawers, Jack used the crook of his staff to hook a corner of the blankets and flick the covers over Jamie's snoozing form. Jack extracted a blue gym back – the same one from Jamie's old bedroom in Burgess – from the bottom drawer of the dresser. He then proceeded to rifle swiftly about the room in search of anything useful to bring.

Like a dutiful Guardian, North made sure to keep tabs on the world he and his comrades protected. This meant getting an influx of newspapers and articles from around the world. Every day numerous elves would walk into his main workshop to neatly stack the papers in a corner of the room. Where the elves always got the newspapers from, no one was sure, but North, seeing that the elves prided themselves in being useful in not just _'toy-making'_, wasn't one to question it. As such, it was in the recent hour that North received two startling newspapers, each from Russia and relaying the disappearances of even more children.

Despite the need to make haste, Jack couldn't bring himself to wake the slumbering child laying on the bed. He could tell poor Jamie had been steadily reaching a limit, and sleep deprivation finally caught up to him. Jack came and went from the room several times as quietly as possible as to let Jamie get some shut-eye, even if just for a minute.

With an unusually aggravated sigh, Jack tossed the empty bag onto the nightstand and plopped down next to Jamie. The winter spirit buried his face in his hands, trying to win a losing battle with his instincts. Perhaps there could be a different way to go about this, perhaps he should've sided with Bunny. Jack looked to the far wall in dread, and then down at Jamie. Fishing a hand through his front pocket, Jack brought out a homely and lightly frayed stuffed animal. The toy only brushed against Jamie's hands before the kid's eyes shifted beneath their lids. Still not awake, Jamie brought up his arms and tucked his beloved stuffed rabbit against his chest. Jack half-smiled wistfully.

There was no avoiding it; Jamie would be coming with them. Honestly, if they left the child behind, where was he to go? As nomads, Jack and Jamie didn't have a home, and Jamie obviously couldn't go back to Burgess. North's workshop wouldn't do much good as Reapers, a creature that matched up with Nightmares, could more than likely get passed North's defenses.

"He could stay in the Warren," Bunny had offered with a grimace. "But my sentinel eggs are geared to mainly protect Sophie. They could protect Jamie just as well, but if Reapers got in, Sophie would be their first priority." And if Reapers were growing as powerful as Pitch thought they were, Jamie wouldn't last very long in the Warren, the sentinel eggs and his uncontrollable magic doing little to no good. Jack's hope was to bring Jamie with him and that the Reapers wouldn't suspect a child to go willingly into their midst.

Bunny's ever-grouchy voice hollered to Jack from outside the room, signaling it was time to go. Jack called back to him to request another minute. The yelling made the younger boy stir. Jamie's large brown eyes blinked open, hands instinctively holding his stuffed rabbit closer as he embraced _semi_-consciousness.

"Hey, kiddo," Jack muttered softly, ruffling a hand through the kid's hair. "Time to head out." He stood up. Jamie nodded only once before his head fell sleepily back on the bed. Jack chuckled. Shaking his head the winter spirit gently pried the rabbit from Jamie's hold, placed the toy on the dresser – didn't want to lose it where they were going – and retrieved Jamie's cloak from the bed knob.

Jack's head turned at the sound of the little voice. Jamie shifted until he sat up. "Sophie's going to be okay, right," the kid asked. "And mom?"

For an uncertain moment, Jack didn't say anything. However, the winter spirit soon flashed a warm crooked grin. "Of course they will be, kiddo. Sophie's perfectly safe in the Warren and Reapers don't target adults too often, so your mom'll be fine, too." Jamie matched his friend's grin.

It was _almost_ a lie. Truthfully, Jack wasn't certain if Reapers were after any adults. However, with Pitch's quarters close to Burgess, Jack presumed that the man might have more of a preference to protect the town. At least that's what he hoped.

* * *

"Do we have everything," North asked his fellow Guardians. He raised an eyebrow at Jack and Jamie. "What have you two brought?"

"The clothes on our backs," Jack simply said with a shrug. "We don't really own much."

Jamie was about to add that he still had a snow globe rolling around in his pockets until a breath rushed through his hair. He swallowed when his gaze travelled up to meet the yellow eyes of a towering Nightmare. The dark horse shook its sandy mane and before it could rear back, Pitch stood from his throne.

"Onyx," The Nightmare King barked. "Go! Do your job." The Nightmare snorted indignantly and trotted back to the shadows. "Onyx will be collecting the Nightmares of children around the world," he explained to the Guardians gathered around the open cellar door. "The more Fearlings she recruits, the fewer Reapers we should see." Pitch shook his head. "Mind you, to gather enough Nightmares and their strength would be a decade-long process-"

"We will take what we can get, for now," North finished, taking a sword from its sheath. With his free hand, the Guardian sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and opened his mouth.

"I don't expect thanks," Pitch growled bluntly. He kicked the edge of the cellar door. "Just get rid of them."

North glanced behind him, shooting one last look at his friends before they all nodded. One by one, they made their cautious trek down the cellar. After Jamie had trailed down with the Sandman, Jack was about to follow before a hand fell on his shoulder.

"You're bringing the boy with you," Pitch asked with a level of incredulity.

Jack sighed. "No place safe for him."

Pitch rolled his eyes. "No place _you_ deem safe. Wouldn't the Lunar Lamadary take him?"

Jack shook his head. "They don't like to let in too many strangers. Besides," Jack began, not the first time he ever said this to anyone. "I can look after him." Pitch scowled, but said nothing more as he and Jack turned from each other, each going off into a different set of shadows.

Though the darkness concealed any hint of a ladder, Jack still descended down into the pitch darkness of the shadows, the dim light of Pitch's lair fading from above until Jack couldn't even see his own hands in front of his face. The familiar wooden material of the ladder under his bare feet was replaced by cold cobblestone. And the moment he touched solid ground the faint golden glow from Sandy flooded the corner of his eye.

Trudging aimlessly through the darkness, Jack caught up to the light, the whispering of his friends, the fluttering of Tooth's wing's, and the ominous drip sounding somewhere off. The darkness was smothering, not allowing Sandy's glow to reach more than a few inches out. The dream giver, Bunnymund's back paws, and North's boots were the only thing clearly visible.

Just as Jack ran up beside the Sandman, the hissing of a match and the blaze of a blinding light flooded everyone's senses.

"Ah, knew this would come in handy," North grinned proudly at the pallid candle in his fist. The white candle was a special, recent design of North's, supposedly being the brightest candlelight on Earth. Everyone grinned at the source of light, and Jack's smile widened when he saw Sandy's little hand resting securely on Jamie's shoulder. The little man gave Jack a thumbs-up. But all smiles vanished in awe when their eyes fell upon the now lit room.

Large wine caskets lined every inch of the small room. The only provided space was the narrow hallway between the casks leading down to a large rectangular wooden box on the floor at the far wall.

Tooth followed the sound of the dripping and found that a casket on the top row was leaking out the tap. Flying upward, she ran a hand under the drip, allowing a few drops of wine on her index and middle finger, before tightening the tap to a seal and tasting the beverage. She scowled. Though she wasn't one to drink much alcohol, she could tell by the taste that the wine hadn't aged.

"Some harvests start in the summer," Bunnymund grumbled. "I'm no summer spirit, but I'd say we're looking at a fresh harvest of grapes."

"Reapers enjoy wine?" North wagered as he and Sandy took a sip from a nearby casket.

Jamie walked up beside North. "Can I try?"

"No way, mister," Jack said, dragging Jamie with him. "I've see you on a sugar high. We are _not_ putting alcohol in you." Jamie whined in protest, but Jack ignored him; his curiosity was leading him to the large oak box at the end of the cellar.

Jack hooked his staff over the tap of a cask and knelt to push the lid of the odd box out of the way. Not letting him do it on his own, Jamie pitched in to help. As soon as the lid hit the ground with a resounding clatter, a plume of dust shot out at Jack and Jamie's eyes. Jack was going to be thanking the Moon that the dust cleared from his vision first, rather than Jamie's. A horrified gasp choked passed his pale lips and a tremor shocked his stock-still form as he stared into the box.

Jamie coughed a few times, dust watering his eyes as he tried to look, too. "So, what's-" The child's voice shattered Jack's reverie.

He grabbed Jamie roughly, pushing the kid's face protectively against his blue hoodie. "Don't look," he exclaimed. Regardless of the strange white halo surrounding the figure, Jack_ knew_ Jamie would get terrible nightmares from the image before them.

Resting in the large casket, pale as Jack, eyes closed, and certainly unmoving was a boy no older, if not younger, than Jamie.

* * *

_* Well... it's rated T for a reason. I apologize for the overdue update. Let me know what you think so far!_


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